is under police custody Thursday after allegedly shooting and killing his girlfriend, who he may have mistaken for an intruder, according to the South African news agency News24. South Africa is one of the most dangerous nations in the world, and residents commonly carry firearms to protect themselves against frequent home invasions

Statement from South Afrinca police says they have reports of screaming and shouting earlier in teh evening & they were surprised to hear the reports about him mistaking her for an intruder. They will disclose their reasons for opposing bail this afternoon. This is horrible

I really wonder who started and why the rumors about his mistaking the girl for a burglar? Not police anyways. And the neighbors heard fighting.

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In a story I read earlier and now can't find, there was reference to the high crime rate in the area and how even in gated communities residents usually have firearms in the house, and how in one recent incident, a man shot his own daughter because he thought she was someone stealing his car.

I suspect that's the source of confusion, along with perhaps people hoping that it was an accident rather than murder, including:

South Africa&#8217;s Sports Confederation and Olympic committee released a statement on Thursday saying they had been &#8220;inundated&#8221; with requests for comment but were not in a position to give out any details of the shooting.

&#8220;SASCOC, like the rest of the public, knows no more than what is in the public domain, which is there has been an alleged fatal shooting on the basis of a mistaken identity and an apparent assumption of a burglary,&#8221; the South African Olympic committee said.

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But a police spokesperson says otherwise:

Beukes also said there had been previous incidents and &#8220;allegations of a domestic nature&#8221; at the home of the Olympic star and double-amputee runner, who is one of South Africa&#8217;s and the world&#8217;s most famous sportsmen and made history at the London Games last year by being the first double-amputee runner to compete at the Olympics.

&#8220;I&#8217;m not going to elaborate on it but there have been incidents (at Pistorius&#8217; home),&#8221; Beukes said.

Unfortunately, media outlets are so intent on getting a "scoop" that they don't seem to fact check before reporting rumors. The surge in social media and 24 hr news outlets only contributes to this. Remember when the Newtown shooting happened, there were reports that the shooter's mother taught at the school, among other things.

Unfortunately, media outlets are so intent on getting a "scoop" that they don't seem to fact check before reporting rumors. The surge in social media and 24 hr news outlets only contributes to this. Remember when the Newtown shooting happened, there were reports that the shooter's mother taught at the school, among other things.

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You bet... I was just reading an article about this on a portuguese site it had such gems as "... the police charged him with homicide(translated from portuguese so I don't know what the actual accusation was) so the the hypothesis of accidental murder was discarded..." , erm, what exactly do they think would have been the charge had it been an accident? The degree or murder differs but t's still murder even if accidental...

"... the authorities denied bail for the athlete's release...", as far as I know this only happens after the first court appearance, what really happened was that the police plans to opposed his request for bail.

Evidently I don't know what happened, but the coverage of this case is absolute crap.

Are the laws re: self-defense not as stringent in SA as they are in the US? Here, you have to prove you gave them the option to leave before you blow them away, either verbally or by barricading the doors or something (to show you know they're there and that they can leave without consequence. Once they enter your home, thrn all bets are off.

Shooting someone in the head before asking who they are (especially if they live with you!!!!) is especially rash and stupid. If it's dark and you can't see well, the head is a poor target anyway - you'd go for center mass. If she was shot in the head, he must have been looking at her well enough to recognize her.

I don't doubt that accidental shootings CAN happen in the "I thought it was an intruder!" way, but it's so, so stupid and preventable on both the perpetrator and the victim.

The laws regarding self-defense in the US are different from state-to-state. As we saw from the Trayvon Martin case, the Florida stand-your-ground law is pretty broad in terms of what is allowed to be considered self-defense.

Shooting someone in the head before asking who they are (especially if they live with you!!!!) is especially rash and stupid. If it's dark and you can't see well, the head is a poor target anyway - you'd go for center mass. If she was shot in the head, he must have been looking at her well enough to recognize her.

I don't doubt that accidental shootings CAN happen in the "I thought it was an intruder!" way, but it's so, so stupid and preventable on both the perpetrator and the victim.

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Yeah, but shooting someone in the arm only makes sense if a) you're a lousy shot or b) you're trying to stop them from using a weapon or c) you're doing it on purpose to disguise the scene , so shooting arm and then head is what people would do for stopping an intruder with a gun quickly, if you shoot them in the chest they could still shoot you back... at least that's what I've seen in movies.

I agree that it's preventable, but I also imagine that a person who can't walk without prosthetics would enter survival mode much faster than the average Joe and wouldn't even think before acting, of course we don't know enough details about this case but so far it's a feasible scenario. From the accounts I've read of house invasions in South Africa they are much more brutal than in the US, I don't think most people there would ask anything before acting.

Again, I'm not saying any of this happened, at this point nothing conclusive has been reported. Apparently the police isn't very willing to endorse the mistake scenario so that could be a clue...

.. police spokesperson Brigadier Denise Beukes said that Pistorius was at his home at the time of the death of Steenkamp and &#8220;there is no other suspect involved.&#8221;

&#8220;Yes there are witnesses and there have also been interviews this morning,&#8221; Beukes told reporters outside the gated complex where Pistorius lived. &#8220;We are talking about neighbours and people that heard things that happened earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place.&#8221;

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Doesn't sound like another quiet evening in the neighbourhood, disturbed only by an intruder.

With the mentions of previous domestic disturbances and her being shot 4 times, I have a harr time believing this is a case ot mistaken identity

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I agree, oleada. Being shot four times and the other domestic disturbances seem to point to this being an example of violent behavior escalating. Certainly, we have to wait for all the evidence, but I agree with oleada.

I would like to get more information on this.. as from what our news said the assault he was arrested for was because a woman had broken into his apt and he forced her out and a piece of wood fell on her from the door but the charges were dropped? I think the fact that there was yelling and screaming (apparently) would suggest that it wasn't an accident.. but again would like some more information.. I am biased anyway (against him) as I always thought he seemed arrogant.. and I don't like his accent

Early news reports here that Mr. Pistorius, a gun enthusiast, had accidentally shot his girlfriend, thinking she was intruder, gave way to grim police news conferences announcing previous law enforcement complaints about domestic incidents at his home and the current charges of murder. The development stunned a nation that had elevated Mr. Pistorius to the status of a national sporting hero, an emblem of the ability to overcome acute adversity and a symbol of South Africa&#8217;s ability to project achievements onto the world stage.

&#8220;He was an icon for South Africa,&#8221; said Hennie Kotze, one of the coaches who worked with Mr. Pistorius as part of the 400-meter relay at the London Olympics. &#8220;It was the way he handled his disability with such character and discipline. It is a big shock for everyone.&#8221;

Mr. Pistorius was arrested on Thursday and taken to a Pretoria jail, where he will spend the night in anticipation of a bail hearing to be held Friday morning. The police have said that they plan to oppose bail in the case.

[Reeva] Steenkamp's colleagues in the modeling world were distraught. "We are all devastated. Her family is in shock," her agent, Sarita Tomlinson, tearfully told Reuters. "They did have a good relationship. Nobody actually knows what happened."
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Steenkamp, a regular on the South African social scene, was reported to have been dating Pistorius for several months.

In the social pages of last weekend's Sunday Independent she described him as having "impeccable" taste. "His gifts are always thoughtful," she was quoted as saying.

Some of her last Twitter postings indicated she was looking forward to Valentine's Day on Thursday. "What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow???" she posted.

I would like to get more information on this.. as from what our news said the assault he was arrested for was because a woman had broken into his apt and he forced her out and a piece of wood fell on her from the door but the charges were dropped?

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The CNN story said his arrest in 2009 was because of something that happened at a party (not someone breaking into his home):

Pistorius was arrested and accused of common assault in 2009, but the case was thrown out because of a lack of evidence, police told CNN on Thursday. That incident involved Pistorius allegedly slamming a door during a party, and a piece of the door fell off and hit someone, said Capt. Marissa Van der Merwe of South African police.

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Not even sure at this point if this information is correct -- will have to wait and see what is reported in coming days.

Yeah, but shooting someone in the arm only makes sense if a) you're a lousy shot or b) you're trying to stop them from using a weapon or c) you're doing it on purpose to disguise the scene , so shooting arm and then head is what people would do for stopping an intruder with a gun quickly, if you shoot them in the chest they could still shoot you back... at least that's what I've seen in movies.

I agree that it's preventable, but I also imagine that a person who can't walk without prosthetics would enter survival mode much faster than the average Joe and wouldn't even think before acting, of course we don't know enough details about this case but so far it's a feasible scenario. From the accounts I've read of house invasions in South Africa they are much more brutal than in the US, I don't think most people there would ask anything before acting.Again, I'm not saying any of this happened, at this point nothing conclusive has been reported. Apparently the police isn't very willing to endorse the mistake scenario so that could be a clue...

That someone without legs has a higher survival instinct and therefore it's understandable that they would shoot somebody without thinking more quickly than an able-bodied person? Is there any scientific evidence to support that?